About BuildFax

What is BuildFax Data?

From hammer and nails, to sheetrock and two-by-fours, BuildFax data starts at the source. But how does data in hundreds of formats from thousands of sources make its way into elegant BuildFax format?

Here at BuildFax, we're passionate about two things—1. your peace of mind and 2. building construction records. (And yes—we do need to get out more, but that's another conversation.)

The simplest explanation is that BuildFax collects and organizes construction records on millions of properties from cities and counties across the United States. It's data on new construction, major systems repair, additions, renovations, roofs, pools, demolitions, contractors and more.

We are trying to help you answer the hard questions about a property, whether you're going to buy it, underwrite it, insure it, inspect it, appraise it or finance it. We've got your back.

What is the age of this roof and is it properly secured to the structure?

Was the foundation repaired in 2001?

Does this addition have the proper electrical wiring?

Which contractor installed the pool?

To get to the nuts and bolts of what that really means, during the construction project, qualified experts at the local building authority monitor and personally inspect the structures to make sure they are compliant with local and national building codes.

We take that construction, contractor and inspection data in its raw state, which literally comes in hundreds of file formats and databases, representing thousands of business processes (which, by the way, can send even the most seasoned data professional sprinting for the nearest source of caffeine) and synthesize it into one beautiful common format.

And we don't stop there, because that would be going against our 'geek honor code'.

We then take that data and slice it, dice it and add our own intelligence to the mix, based on our experience of working with construction data for more than a decade.
That's the real 'special sauce' that BuildFax brings to the equation—we take a hodge-podge mix of data, apply organization, industry intelligence, experience, and a standardized format to it, and voila! It's a nationally standardized data set on U.S. structures.

Never before has anyone been able to research the construction and remodeling documentation on a structure (or lack thereof) and get a powerful, easy-to-understand summary in just minutes. Even more, you can often see details of the contractors involved and inspection results as well.

Currently, within our live database, BuildFax has 60% of the national permitting volume. And that number is growing, based on requests from our customers for specific areas of the country yet to be included in BuildFax coverage.

So, whatever your relationship with your property, know that BuildFax is behind you all the way with the facts that get 'under the roof' and 'within the walls' to give you a detailed background check.